ANN ARBOR, MI - County-funded mental health services and environmental issues such as the Gelman dioxane plume are among the issues candidates for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners are discussing on the campaign trail.

Four candidates competing in two separate county board races shared views on those matters and more during a League of Women Voters candidate forum Monday night, July 9, in Ann Arbor.

On the stage inside CTN studios were Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, and challenger Katie Scott, who are competing in the Aug. 7 Democratic primary in District 9 for a chance to represent Ann Arbor's west side on the county board for the next two years.

Also on stage were Tom Brennan and Sue Shink, two of the three candidates competing in the Democratic primary for an open seat in District 2, which includes Superior, Salem, Northfield, Webster and Ann Arbor townships, as well as a small part of Ann Arbor.

Rodrick Green, another Democratic candidate in District 2, did not attend the forum.

The District 2 seat is being vacated by Michelle Deatrick, who is running for state Senate. The winner of the District 2 primary faces Republican Kevin Jardine in the November general election, while the winner of the District 9 primary faces Republican Stuart Berry.

There are contested races for all nine seats on the county board this year. MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide information to voters.

Check out the league's election guide at Vote411.org to find out more about candidates and proposals on the ballot.

Additional election information from the nonpartisan CivCity Initiative in Ann Arbor can be found at AnnArborVotes.org.

District 9 race

Smith is seeking another two-year term representing Ann Arbor's west side on the county board after nearly 14 years in office.

He said he believes he has a proven track record of turning the community's values into action at the county level, including reducing the county's carbon footprint, expanding urban recreation, protecting public health, advancing workforce development and putting forward a new tax for mental health services that voters approved.

He said he wants to continue that work and he believes the complex issues facing the county require knowledge and leadership.

Scott, an intensive care nurse at the University of Michigan Health System, said she's lived in Ann Arbor most of her adult life.

"In my whole time living here, I will say, though, I haven't seen directly what a county commissioner does for everyday people, but I've watched as Ann Arbor has become a more expensive place to live," she said. "We're a town run by Democrats, but every day gets harder for working people. So, I am excited to make sure that Ann Arbor remains a diverse place for working people, where they can afford to live, and we need to put working families first."

If she's elected, she said, one of her first goals is to bring more transparency into county government.

District 2 race

Shink, an attorney, farmer and former Northfield Township trustee, said she's running because she loves her community.

"In District 2, children can run free, get dirty and grow up strong, while in close proximity to the vibrant communities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti ," she said. "I've been working to preserve the quality of life in District 2 for many years. I have found that I am effective at amplifying the voice of our community."

Shink noted she has served on the board of the Huron River Watershed Council and as chair of the Washtenaw County Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee. As an attorney, she said, she also has helped immigrants with becoming citizens, including transgender people and victims of domestic violence.

"I have been working for the people, land and community for as long as I have lived in Washtenaw County," Shink said.

"I want to be, and I already am, a voice for many residents. I have a track record of standing with our residents and that will continue on whether I'm elected or not. I believe in a strong rural area and a strong urban area. I've been working for both. I support the encouragement of micro businesses, including farms and farm stands."

Shink said there are places in District 2 that aren't getting the county services they need and she wants to address that as well.

Brennan said he thinks Washtenaw County is a great place to live, work and play, and he wants to make it even better.

"I wouldn't live anywhere else if I had the opportunity," he said. "My wife and I have lived in our house for almost five years and we plan to retire in Washtenaw County."

Brennan said he grew up in Washtenaw County, graduated from Chelsea High School in 2000, attended Washtenaw Community College for two years, and then received a bachelor's degree in political science from Bowling Green State University.

He's a patient services assistant with the UM Health System and lives in Superior Township. He said he's been involved in the local Democratic Party and wants to give back to the community.

Mental health services

All four candidates weighed in on how the county should use new tax revenue for mental health services following last November's voter approval of a new mental health and public safety millage.

The county board put the 1-mill, eight-year levy on the ballot and it passed with 64 percent support across the county.

"I think what it showed us definitively is that people in Washtenaw County care about mental health and they support our community mental health program," Scott said, though she added she thinks a lot of people didn't realize there would be partial rebates from the millage for communities that fund their own police forces.

"That's taken a lot of people by surprise, which goes to one of my main issues about ... making sure we have transparency in government."

Scott said she wants to use the new funding to make sure mental health workers are paid a fair wage.

She said continuity of care is important in terms of patient outcomes, so she wants to see the county's mental health workers be able to afford to stay in their positions.

The new tax is expected to generate more than $15 million per year in revenue, with funds available to use starting in 2019.

As stated on the ballot last November, 38 percent is for Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, 38 percent is for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, including increased law enforcement collaboration with the mental health community, and the remaining 24 percent is for communities that fund their own police departments so they're not double taxed for public safety.

Ann Arbor has decided to direct the new funds it's getting from the partial millage rebate toward addressing the city's affordable housing, pedestrian safety and climate action goals. The City Council passed a resolution announcing those intentions ahead of last year's vote.

"We really need to fully invest the mental health tax dollars to the fullest extent that we can," Brennan said, adding he doesn't think communities should use their rebates for other purposes.

"Mental health is a public safety issue," he added. "And without access to the mental health system, we're going to have more police calls. It's going to be a tax on our services."

Smith said the biggest challenge with the millage is that, despite the size of it, it's still not enough to solve the county's problems. He agreed public safety and mental health are intricately related.

Smith said his opponent is correct that the county has a big challenge with paying mental health workers.

"But to bring all of our mental health workers up to a living wage would cost us $17 million a year, so there's not enough money there," he said. "What we do need to do with that millage money, I think, is make a strategic, early-stage investment, and I'd like to see all of those dollars programmed to help youth in our community."

In particular, Smith said, the county has seen increases in anxiety among students in middle school and high school, and he said that can lead to depression, suicide and school violence.

"If we can intervene earlier there and teach people how to lead good, strong, healthy mental lives, as well as strong physical lives, I think then you create a systemic effect that moves forward in generation by generation and makes our world a much better place," Smith said.

Shink said she has participated in community conversations about the new millage and she has heard exactly what Smith said -- that there's not enough money to take care of all the needs.

"Some of the major issues that I heard when I was at the conversations is that the lack of continuity with the community mental health workers is a treatment issue, and so if they're not paid a living wage, that is affecting the treatment and care that the people in our community are receiving," she said. "I also heard and advocated strongly for prevention in young people. I have children, and I believe that the level of depression and anxiety in our schools is probably much greater than people even are realizing."

Shink agreed with Smith that money put into prevention, starting as early as preschool, would be money well spent.

"I've also heard that the crisis services for people are woefully inadequate," she added. "And our police chief in Northfield Township is having to send people to the U of M psychiatric services when something a step down, maybe a walk-in clinic, would be a possibility for people to receive treatment without having to be admitted. So, there are a lot of opportunities there."

Watch the full forum below to hear the candidates discuss other issues related to parks and recreation, the Road Commission, environmental matters such as the Gelman plume, criminal justice, district and county priorities, and the role of county government.